Hammer



(No Model.)

0. H. NEWHALL. HAMMER;

No. 436,612. Patented'Sept. 16, 1890.

WITNESSES m: mama PFYEnS cu. wumLnHm, WASNINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CEBERT H. NEVHALL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HAMMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,612, dated September 16, 1890.

Application filed August 3, 1889. Serial No. 319,625. (No model.)

, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of- Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hammers, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in providing a hammer with means, substantially as hereinafter described, whereby a nail may be primarily held by the hammer and partially driven into position in advance of the usual driving operation of the head of the hammer.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a hammer having my invention applied thereto, a nail being also shown as engaged by the spring-jaws. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the hammer shown in Fig. 1, the spring-jaws being in inoperative position. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the supporting-head with a lug and the gripping-jaws with a recess. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the head removed from the hammer and showing the same formed with two lugs and the gripping-jaws each formed with a recess.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a hammer, which, excepting the features of my invention applied thereto, is of usual construction.

Formed with or secured to the hammer back of the eye portion thereof is a supplementary head B, to the sides of which are pivoted elastic or spring jaws O O, which when in normal position embrace the sides of said head, as in Fig. 2, and may be swung out at a right angle or to a position parallel with the longitudinal direction of the head proper of the hammer, as will be seen in Fig. 1.

The operation is as follows: A nail ispresented to the hammer and its head placed against the supplementary head B thereof, as

shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 2. The jaws are then moved, whereby their free ends em brace the sides of the nail, the jaws readily separating, and by their closing action taking firm hold of thenail, as in Fig. 1. The nail may now be directed to the place where it is required and a blow imparted thereto by proper operation of the hammer, the nail thus partially entering the wood, after which the hammer is moved from the nail, thus clearing the same, the nail then being driven home or to the desired extent by the head of the hammer, as usual.

When service of the jaws is not required they may be returned to their normal position over the head B, as in Fig. 2, where they remain, owing to their elastic nature.

The jaws have their free ends serrated, so that they may be engaged by a nail or an implement for conveniently moving the same into their operative and inoperative positions.

The face of the head B projects forward of the sides of the jaws, so that when the hammer is used, as usual, should the head proper slip while driving a nail, the latter, if in the path of the head B, may be struck by said head B without injuring the jaws.

The ends of the jaws are beveled, as at D, so that after the nail is started or primarily driven into position, and the hammer is to be released therefrom, said hammer is turned on the head of the nail, whereby the bevels D come against the sides of the nail, so that the jaws quickly slip off of the nail, or vice versa.

In order to hold the jaws in inoperative position, shown in Fig. 2, the head B is formed with a lug E, with which engages the wall of a recess F on one of the jaws C, it being noticed that the ends of the jaws engage with each other, and thus improper opening or separation of the jaws is prevented.

If desired, as shown by Fig. 4:, each jaw may be provided with a recess, such as F, in which case the head B is provided with two lugs, such. as E, so that each jaw is interlocked with said head.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A hammer having a supplemental head and pivotal jaws at the sides thereof, the said jaws being adapted to be turned either in the direction of the length of the handle or of the head of the hammer, substantially as described.

- 2. A hammer having two jaws pivoted thereto, the same being located back of the eye portion and formed of elastic material, whereby the free ends thereof may separate, the said jaws being adapted to be turned either in the direction of the length of the handle or of the head of the hammer, substantially as described.

3. A hammer having a supplemental head connected therewith and pivotal jaws at the side thereof, the face of said head projecting in front of said jaws when the latter are in closed position, substantially as described.

4:. A hammer having the pivoted springthereon, and the spring-jaws 0, one of which is provided with a recess F, said parts being combined substantially as described.

CEBERT H. NEWHALL.

Witnesses: 7

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, WM. 0. WIEDERSHEIM. 

